Fontana Water Co. bills going down about 16 percent following cost-cutting moves

The more than 44,000 customers of Fontana Water Co. will see a 16 percent decrease in their water bills for about 20 months, officials said.

Starting in mid-December, many customers, but perhaps not all, will see the full effect of a series of actions management has taken to lower the price the company pays for its H20.

Fontana Water serves about 210,000 people in the communities of Fontana, Rialto, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County.

Fontana Water's cost-cutting actions will translate into a reduction of $8.74 per month from the average customer's bill, said Robert Young, Fontana Water's general manager.

"In these economic times, we know that everyone likes to have a few more dollars in their pocket. It gives us a sense of pride in our management of the company that we were able to accomplish this for our customers," Young said.

The savings, which Fontana Water is passing on to its customers, came from three sources:

Fontana Water Co. was able to divert and treat far more than average quantities of low-cost Lytle Creek surface water through its upgraded Sandhill Surface Water Treatment Plant.

The company was able to make a one-time spot purchase of 20,000 acre-feet of water at a deep discount from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Local cities with temporary water surpluses agreed to lease it to Fontana at favorable rates.

Fontana Water Company was able to divert and treat far more than average quantities of low-cost Lytle Creek surface water through its upgraded Sandhill Surface Water Treatment Plant.

The $40 million upgrade allows the plant to capture additional low-cost water from Lytle Creek, which previously the company was unable to use because it was too "muddy," Young said.

The upgrade also allows Fontana Water to tap into the state water project which is generally cheaper than water it would otherwise use from the Chino Basin, he said.

In dollar terms, the one-time spot purchase from the Metropolitan Water District was the largest single savings element, said Young, who said he made the purchase moments after it was announced online.

"We were the first in Southern California to respond with a purchase," he said.